Lompoul desert
| Lompoul Desert | |
|---|---|
 Sand dunes in the Lompoul | |
  Lompoul Location within Senegal | |
| Area | 18 km2 (6.9 mi2) |
| Naming | |
| Native name | French: Désert de Lompoul |
| Geography | |
| Country | Senegal |
| Coordinates | 15°27′45″N 16°41′17″W / 15.4624°N 16.688°W |
 Interactive map of Lompoul Desert | |
The Lompoul desert (sometimes spelled Lumpoul; in French, Désert de Lompoul) is a small desert of about 18 km2. It is located in the Louga region of Senegal [1].
It features orange sand dunes akin to those in the Sahara and Mauritania, unlike the surrounding landscape in Senegal (see the Grande Côte).[2]
The desert is named after its closest settlement, the village of Lompoul.
Geography
[edit]The Lompoul has a surface area of about 18 square kilometers (6.9 sq mi). It is located in north-west Senegal, between the cities of Saint-Louis (Sénégal) and Dakar.
The desert consists of many sand dunes, which can reach heights of up to 50 meters [1].
Festival du Sahel
[edit]The Festival du Sahel, a local music festival, has taken place in the Lompoul desert since 2009.[3]
Mineral sands extraction
[edit]In recent years, parts of the Lompoul desert and the surrounding coastal strip have been affected by heavy mineral sands mining, particularly for zircon, ilmenite and rutile, under a concession operated by the French mining company Eramet through its subsidiary Eramet Grande Côte (in which the Government of Senegal also has an indirect equity of 10%).[4] The use of large dredging equipment has altered dune landscapes and generated local concerns about environmental impacts and changes to traditional land uses in the region.[5]
Footnotes
[edit]- 1 2 Dominique Auzias, Jean-Paul Labourdette, Sénégal 2020, col. Petit Futé.
- ↑ Korité and Camels
- ↑ Presentation Festivaldusahel.com
- ↑ "Grande Cote (GCO) Operation". MiningDataOnline. MiningDataOnline. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
Grande Cote (GCO) Operation is located approximately 100 km northeast of Dakar, Senegal, and is classified as an active open pit mineral sands mine producing heavy minerals including zircon, rutile, and ilmenite.
- ↑ "Game of minerals in the sands of Senegal: Trade-offs between growth, sustainability and justice in Senegal's "desert" mining". The Nordic Africa Institute. Nordic Africa Institute. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
Policy note on the extraction of critical minerals in Senegal, discussing the trade-offs between economic growth, environmental sustainability and social equity, and examining projects such as Eramet Grande Côte (EGC) and their impacts on local livelihoods and governance.
15°27′00″N 16°41′00″W / 15.4500°N 16.6833°W
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